Primavera Sound Festival In Sao Paulo
SAO PAULO, BRAZIL – NOVEMBER 6: JPEGMAFIA performs live on stage during Primavera Sound Festival at Distrito Anhembi on November 6, 2022 in Sao Paulo, Brazil. (Photo by Mauricio Santana/Getty Images)
JPEGMAFIA, never one to shy away from controversy, takes aim at Drake with unrelenting ferocity on his latest album, I Lay Down My Life for You. True to form, JPEGMAFIA, known for his audacious approach and provocative album titles like All My Heroes Are Cornballs (2019) and SCARING THE HES* (2023), holds nothing back in his latest project. The album is a showcase of his distinctive sonic experimentation, but it’s the brutal bars aimed at Drake that steal the spotlight.
On tracks like “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” and “New Black History,” JPEGMAFIA launches scathing critiques at the 6 God. The track “It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot” isn’t solely a Drake diss, but the shots fired are unmistakable. JPEGMAFIA twists Drake’s 2018 hit “No Friends In the Industry” into a pointed jab about the Toronto rapper’s alleged misconduct, rapping, “I can count all of my industry friends on my hands. And my n**gas, they be in demand. Obviously, rappers, they know what it is. If I show you a Drac’, I ain’t playin’ with kids.” The use of “Drac'” as a double entendre not only references Drake but also nods to Kendrick Lamar’s “Euphoria” diss. The track’s title, evoking DMX’s seminal album, further underscores the disdain JPEGMAFIA has for Drake.
The term “No Drizzy” emerges as a central phrase in the album. On “New Black History,” JPEGMAFIA and Vince Staples trade verses over a glitchy beat, with JPEGMAFIA’s verse cutting deep: “‘Specially when ya’ll cashing out for PDF’s and rapers (No Drizzy),” he raps. “I hope ya’ll paid attention, no really, I’m dyin’. I killed myself, tell them to kill me (Hey).” The phrase “No Drizzy,” akin to earlier expressions like “No Diddy,” indicates a disdain for the behaviors and controversies associated with Drake, positioning him alongside the likes of Diddy in terms of criticism.
JPEGMAFIA’s vendetta against Drake is well-documented. The rapper himself admitted to DJ Booth in 2019 that his beef with Drake stemmed from the latter’s immense popularity. “I been randomly dissing Drake for like five years,” JPEGMAFIA revealed. His latest album intensifies this long-standing animosity, placing him in fierce competition with Kendrick Lamar for the title of Drake’s most formidable critic. As JPEGMAFIA tweeted following Kendrick Lamar’s “Meet the Grahams” diss, “I’m no longer the biggest Drake hater. Kendrick Unbelievable.” However, JPEGMAFIA’s aggressive disses make it clear he’s still very much in the running.
